Parent with confidence and calm
no matter what challenges you face.
1
Groundedness
Learn to find your center in the stormiest of situations.
2
Self-Trust
Experience the confidence that comes from knowing you have all the resources you need.
3
Acceptance
Meet your children, and yourself, exactly where each of you are.
No parent starts off with all the answers.
Traditional models of parenting weren’t built for today’s challenges. Sometimes it feels like we’ve been tossed into the ocean with no life jacket.
Do any of these sound like you?
You have a teen or tween who has had a mental health crisis, or you fear is heading for one. You‘re consumed by worry for this child whom you love more than anyone in the world. You’re walking on eggshells, knowing your kid needs help, but you don’t even know where to start, or the help you do have isn’t enough.
You’re a recently divorced, separated, single parent–or you’re married and you feel you might as well be single. You’re mourning the loss of the dream, your emotions feel right on the surface all the time, and it’s impacting how you show up for your kids. Interactions with your ex, and even sometimes your kids, are triggering. You feel totally alone.
You are a creative parent who has let your artistic work slide since becoming a parent, and this makes you cranky and resentful – and yet guilty for wanting to get out of the house to do the creative work that nourishes your soul but gets shoved aside by other priorities. You have a mounting sense that if this situation doesn’t change, you’re going to say or do something you regret.
You are a frazzled, overwhelmed parent who feels in over their head with family life. The mental load, the errands, the chauffeuring, the cooking and laundry, have left you depleted. You love your family, and wish you could enjoy your children more, but figuring out how to do that feels like one more thing.
Wherever you are in your parenting journey, you are not alone.
Hello! I'm Kerri Smith Maher
I’m so glad you’re here.
I happen to have been all of the parent types described above. As a single mother, I know what it feels like to be terribly triggered by my ex. My child suffered from a depression that manifested in ways that scared me, and I didn’t have the internal or external resources to help her. And as a writer/creative, I’ve experienced the challenges of integrating (unpaid) work into a complicated and busy life.
I became a parent coach to help parents who feel, as I did, like they are drowning.
Mental health education has infused my life for many years. I’ve been in therapy my entire adult life, including family and DBT therapy with my child and co-parent; I’ve gotten coached, taken the classes and read the books, and I’ve been sober since 2021; I’ve made phone calls, researched modalities, and assembled therapeutic support teams. And after completing training at the Jai Institute, I am now a certified parenting coach…
...In short, I’ve done the homework so you don’t have to.
When I learned how to parent in alignment with my values of unconditional love, collaboration, and mutual respect, I wanted to share that knowledge and support with as many parents as I could. All children, no matter what their struggles or behaviors, deserve to be guided by their caregivers’ best, most aware selves. On my journey, I also learned self-compassion, a crucial step I want to help others take - because there is no such thing as a perfect parent.
Come aboard my life raft, and let’s paddle to safety together.
Secure, confident, and even joyful parenting can be learned.
We can learn to feel more grounded in our own bodies and minds, and to help our children (especially those who might be struggling themselves) ground their bodies and minds as well. We can’t stop hard things from happening to us, but we can learn to approach the hard things from a place of stability and confidence.
It’s Never Too Late to Turn Things Around.
No matter what your relationship with your child(ren) looks like right now, there is hope. Things can look darker if your child is in the midst of a mental health crisis or you’re in a messy high-conflict divorce, but these too are opportunities for profound growth. Change is possible - you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t think so.
Together we will gather resources that play to your strengths and add to an ever growing toolbox of skills you can use in any parenting situation. When you contact me, you will be met with understanding, non-judgemental openness, safety, and personalized, effective support.
I look forward to meeting you.
"I cannot recommend Kerri enough for her thoughtful guidance over the period of this 12-week course. It was truly transformative! I am now interacting with my teenagers on a whole new level.”
-Cheryl P, mother to 13 and 14 year old sons
"Kerri brings so much compassion, knowledge, and a world of experience, helping me feel seen, validated, and understood. She also gives practical, actionable steps to move forward.”
-Jade, mother to an 11 year old son
"Kerri’s support has made a lasting impact on both me and my family. Her calm, insightful guidance helped me uncover beliefs I didn’t realize I was carrying - and she gently offered new ways of seeing myself, my children, and the challenges we face together. With her support, I’ve been able to step into parenting with more compassion and confidence.”
-Jen, mother to a 5, 3, and 1 year old children
How It Works:
When you book a Discovery Call with me, we’ll sit down together and talk so I can get a sense of what’s going on for you and your family and where I can offer support.
I’ll explain my approach and the options we have for working together. You can ask any questions you have and see what type of support would be the best fit for your life and schedule.
If it feels right to you, we can book our first session and get started. If it’s not a good fit, I will do my best to offer alternative resources or suggestions for support, wherever possible. There’s no pressure of any kind, simply an opportunity to see if we are a good fit to work together.
Let's Talk!
Set up a time for us to meet, so that you can stop blaming yourself, and instead, take the first step towards becoming the kind of parent you know you can be.
Ready to shift your experience of parenting to peace, joy and connection?
